I want to mark the passing of Bernice Louise (Johnson) Babb, "Polly" to those who knew her, on June 25, 2008. I only met her once, in 2004, but Polly was so instantly welcoming that meeting her was like walking into sunshine.
It occurs to me that what dies is the body. The love that emanated from Polly will live on in the lives of everyone she touched including her children and their offspring, and, thankfully, me. Her presence will, of course, be deeply missed. If you never got the chance to meet her, you missed one of the best.
Rest in Peace, Polly.
My primary focus here is the ancestry of my father, Mitchell A. Babb (1923-1993).
Never heard of me? While I appreciate Penny Kilgore's work... it's been a great resource... Mitchell Babb had been married at least a time or two before he met and married Polly.
I'm coming to the party late in life. I grew up in the midwest, and then did 20 years in the Navy. Initially, I was all about uncovering family medical history. I only just discovered my surviving aunt; and listening to her stories of growing up with my father, meeting Polly and her children, finding the graves of grandparents and their parents and their parents, returning to places I haven't seen since early childhood... every genealogical page that is turned piques my interest further.
I recently got an e-mail from another Babb researcher asking me if I had any background information to personalize his research. The limitation of a data search is that we accumulate facts and figures, and who enjoyed learning history that way? People are more than their statistics; our ancestors were people with lives. I just discovered that Perry's son, Claud(e), was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French "for personal bravery in support of the French advance on German positions" at Belleau Wood less than a week before he was killed in action there. That tidbit was in his Company muster reports, and only recently released. How many other stories await the light of day?
My hope is that by sharing what I've learned, and by inviting participation by others... especially family members... maybe I'll be able to find answers to some of my lingering questions... to flesh out the dry statistics.
Your e-mail comments to Harold at babb.us are invited and encouraged.
